DaytonDailyNews.com

College football practice begins this week. That would explain my wife's cheery mood. She realizes that later this month the dreamy Kirk Herbstreit will be analyzing Ohio State's chances and breaking out a new fall wardrobe. Ooh, I wonder what tie he'll wear for Week 1.

The Kid is gone: The Ken Griffey Jr. Era is over, and not a moment too soon for many Reds fans. Junior obviously isn't the same player he was 10 years ago (the White Sox must have been reading a 1998 scouting report). Of course the injuries weren't Griffey's fault, but the thing that soured fans on The Kid was that as his skills diminished, he didn't have any charisma.

His skin was as thin as tissue, and he wanted no part of being a member of the community. Like the hottest girl in the class, he gave off the vibe that screamed "stay away."

His teammates might miss him, but I think they looked at Junior like an immature uncle who lets you get away with anything. The Reds have no discipline, and that wasn't going to change with Griffey around.

More on Junior: Maybe the thing that says the most about how far Griffey has fallen was that the White Sox called the Reds ... and the Reds were surprised.

I'm a Twins fan, so I fully approve of this deal. Let's see: the White Sox add Griffey, and the Twins add Francisco Liriano. I'm liking Minnesota's chances in the AL Central.

Brawl aftermath: It's telling that the longest suspensions handed down after the Dragons' brawl with Peoria went to Chiefs pitcher Julio Castillo (60 games) and interim manager Carmelo Martinez (20), who got things started by shoving Dragons manager Donnie Scott.

I'm not saying the Dragons were totally innocent, but I'm pretty sure it's still safe to take the family to Fifth Third Field.

Making a living: It's a mystery as to why Piqua's Quinn Pitcock quit the Colts. One factor might've been the Colts' desire for Pitcock to fill out his jersey like Warren Sapp.

Still, a strange move. As one of my colleagues said: "There aren't many jobs out there that pay $500,000 per year." Heck, around here there aren't many that pay 50 grand.

Quick hits: Did you see that bear roaming the fairways at the U.S. Senior Open? Didn't see anything like that three years ago at NCR. ... NASCAR has some explaining to do. Hey, I once had some expensive Goodyear tires. They didn't last. ... Just to lighten the mood in Beijing, Dara Torres — the 41-year-old swimmer who looks 21 — should bring a walker to the Opening Ceremonies.

Knucklehead of the Week

Andy Roddick made Andre Agassi proud last week by pulling out of the tennis tournament in Mason with a ... sore neck. Roddick, a strong, finely tuned athlete, said that sleeping in a wrong position produced the pain. Did he sleep on his head in the tub? C'mon, Andy. Get a massage. Take some Advil. Suck it up! What's more distressing than Roddick's weak excuse was that he actually admitted it. "The dog ate my racquet" would've been better.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2163 or bkollars@DaytonDailyNews.com.